Because of You
by yukimurapanda2
Summary: After graduation from Seirin, Kagami and Kuroko realize their mutual feelings for each other. As the years pass by, these feelings grow stronger, and are finally put to the ultimate test as they each start adult life - Kagami becoming a firefighter, Kuroko a kindergarten teacher.


Just as inevitably as Teikou, Kuroko's days at Seirin came to an end, and once again, the Generation of Miracles all went their separate ways. Even the famous, original Seirin basketball team split apart in pursuit of their own individual academic goals. Of course, Kuroko still saw them from time to time; Kise continued his modeling job to pay for piloting school and appeared in Tokyo often, Midorima attended Tokyo University to study medicine, Riko remained the basketball coach at Seirin while she studied to receive an official certificate to be a sports trainer like her dad had been, and Aomine was often found lazing around the street courts, still merely "thinking about maybe going to college". Despite all of that, the one person Kuroko really stayed in contact with was Kagami. This was surprising to the blue-haired, considering they were almost always fighting and they never really talked about anything other than basketball. But as they grew to know each other more, Kuroko noticed the redhead warmed up considerably to him, and always seemed to be there for him if he ever needed help. The blue-haired greatly appreciated the assistance he always received from his teammate. He always thought of himself to be a rather independent person, and disliked burdening other people with his troubles, but he found himself taking advantage of Kagami's willingness to help more often than he originally anticipated.

One instance in particular that Kuroko was grateful for was during their third year at Seirin, when the relationship between Kuroko's parents started to go downhill. Kuroko could hardly remember a time where they weren't fighting; his father being slightly alcoholic and his mother being a little too 'touchy-feely' with her friends. They also were never particularly fond of Kuroko (because of his lack of presence and his tendency to startle them whenever he walked into a room), so he usually made a point of avoiding them when they were around, particularly when they were angry with each other.

When Kagami found out how dangerous life at home was for the blue-haired, he was upset at Kuroko. "Why the hell didn't you say anything earlier, idiot?!" he growled at Kuroko when asked about the purple-black bruise on his forehead. Apparently, his mother, who was already in a foul mood, was scared by Kuroko's 'sudden' appearance in the kitchen, and threw a melon at him as punishment.

"There wasn't any reason to do such a thing, Kagami-kun." The smaller boy replied simply, blinking up at his teammate.

Kagami gritted his teeth, reaching out and grabbing Kuroko by the collar of his shirt out of his frustration. This guy could be really stupid sometimes. "Moron!" He shouted, holding the blue-haired at eye level. "You can't just keep these things to yourself!" He let out an angry sigh, calming himself down as he lowered his teammate carefully, loosening his grip on his shirt. "You're coming and staying with me until that stuff gets sorted out." He said after a few moments' silence. He turned his head and, after meeting Kuroko's blank stare, quickly looked away again and added "aah…th-that is, if you want to, of course."

That was when Kuroko blinked and, after thinking it over for a little bit, nodded and accepted his offer. Honestly, he was glad he did. Kagami had been extremely good to him, and felt more comfortable staying with him than he ever did at his own home. However, once they graduated high school and transitioned into college life, Kuroko elected to live in an apartment by himself, telling his friend that it would be more convenient for him, as it was closer to campus, when in reality that wasn't the reason at all. In fact, the apartment he rented out was, if anything, further away from campus. The blue-haired simply felt bad relying on Kagami for so long, and didn't want to be a burden to him.

Living apart from the redhead still did not stop him from making frequent visits, always bringing over home-cooked meals because he was still convinced Kuroko never ate. Really, over the span of only a few months, Kagami had started worrying over him like a first-time mother.

On one of his now-routine visits to Kuroko's apartment, the taller male seemed almost flustered; he brought with him even more food than usual, and stayed over much longer than normal. After he had placed the plate of food in its usual spot in the fridge, the blue-haired made tea for the both of them, and Kagami nervously sat himself down on the couch in the living room, Kuroko joining him soon after.

"Kagami-kun," the smaller male said, noticing the redhead's fidgeting fingers, "you seem different than usual. I hope you aren't getting sick."

The redhead jerked his head in Kuroko's direction. "I wouldn't be over here if I was sick!" he protested, the tips of his ears turning a rosy pink as he frowned at his friend.

Kuroko raised an eyebrow. "Then what's bothering you?" The smaller male waited patiently for an answer.

For a while, Kagami fumbled for words, trying to come up with a decent answer. After a few false starts and a frustrated sigh, he finally spoke up. "Kuroko, I—" He started, avoiding Kuroko's eyes and expelling nervous energy by rubbing at the back of his neck. "I've been thinking about, uh…certain things." When Kuroko only blinked in reply, the redhead tried again. "Ah, I mean…are you sure you're alright living here? You know, by yourself?"

The paler boy blinked again. "I'm not sure if I understand, Kagami-kun." He had an idea, but he couldn't tell what Kagami was actually thinking.

Kagami's eyes flickered in his direction, and his frown deepened. "I mean, with all the stuff that happened back in high school…"

So that's how it was; Kagami was concerned for him. But while the blue-haired really did appreciate his concern, he would have preferred that he wouldn't worry himself over Kuroko's well-being.

"…living with me?"

Kuroko looked up, having missed the rest of the question. "Excuse me?"

The look that appeared on Kagami's face seemed almost hurt, which puzzled the blue-haired. "You left so suddenly after we graduated Seirin, Kuroko. I just wanna know if I did anything wrong while you were at my place."

Now Kuroko was just confused. Had his friend actually been hurt by his decision to live on his own? That hadn't been his intention at all. "Kagami-kun," he replied, speaking more slowly to show that he was taking Kagami's words seriously, "I wasn't aware that I had upset you by leaving, so I apologize for that. While it is true that I did begin to feel uncomfortable, that wasn't in any way your fault. I simply did not want to be a burden to you."

Kagami finally turned his head and stared back at his former teammate. Gone were his previous feelings of anxiousness and hurt; now he was just annoyed. "A _burden_?! Kuroko, _I_ was the one that had you stay with me; I wasn't gonna let you go back to that house when you could get hurt like that again!"

The smaller male's tone remained calm and emotionless. "I'm sorry, Kagami-kun," Kuroko apologized again, unable to come up with a better explanation for his actions. "I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable as well—"

"You thought I was _comfortable_ during all that?!" The redhead half-stood, his eyes narrowing. "Did you honestly not see how nervous I was with you around all the time? Goddammit Kuroko!" Kagami forced himself to sit down, shoving his fingers through his hair while he rested his elbows on his knees. "I thought you were more observant than that. Honestly, you drive me insane most of the time; I was always having to hold back whenever you were around, cause—" He cut off, biting onto his lower lip to prevent himself from saying any more.

Kuroko's eyebrows knitted together. "You were 'holding back'?" He asked, hoping for some sort of elaboration. "How so, Kagami-kun?"

Another frustrated sigh escaped Kagami's lips, and his face remained hidden from Kuroko as he spoke. "I like you, okay?" The taller male blurted out, pulling on his hair slightly. "I've liked you for a while. I didn't say anything cause I didn't want it to get awkward."

At that moment, the timer in the kitchen sounded, prompting Kuroko to retrieve the tea, which he had left steeping on the counter. Walking back into the living room, he placed both teacups on the coffee table between them and sat back down on the couch with a soft sigh. "I had no idea you thought of me like that, Kagami-kun." The blue-haired said slowly, quickly forgetting about his tea. It was the truth; Kagami had always seemed perfectly normal when he was around him, even when they were alone in the house, so it really did come as a surprise to Kuroko to learn of the inner turmoil he had had the whole time.

Suddenly Kagami raised his head. "So why, then?" He asked. "Why did you leave?"

For a few moments, the smaller male kept eye contact with his friend, but he eventually broke his gaze and looked down at his hands. "I left because I didn't want our friendship to fall apart." Kuroko explained. "I am truly grateful for your kindness, but…" He trailed off briefly as he figured out how to voice his thoughts. "The feelings I developed while I stayed at your house may have threatened our friendship if they had gotten any stronger."

Once again Kagami looked up at him. "Feelings?" he repeated. "What kind of feelings?"

Kuroko gave him a look but elaborated anyway. "The same kind of feelings that you apparently had for me."

The redhead frowned. "what d'you mean, 'had'? I still feel that way…"

"I never said you didn't." Kuroko corrected him. "I'm only saying that I left because I didn't want to make it uncomfortable for you."

That was when the redhead suddenly stood, his hands balled into fists. "You think I was _comfortable_ during any of that?!" He half-yelled at the smaller male. "Do you have any idea how much I was holding back while you were living with me?"

Kuroko looked up at his former teammate, nodding the slightest bit. "I would ask the same question to you, Kagami-kun." The blue-haired said calmly, his face still as expressionless as ever. "I could tell that you were uncomfortable, Kagami-kun, but I wasn't sure why. I assumed it was because you preferred living alone."

Kagami fell back down into the couch with a frustrated sigh, shoving his fingers through his hair and holding his head in his hands. He was silent for a while, and Kuroko, having remembered the tea, picked up his cup and silently sipped his tea as he waited for the other to speak. When Kagami finally answered, his voice was much softer, and the blue-haired almost couldn't hear him. "Kuroko…" The redhead said, his eyes closed and his face turned toward the ground, "you don't…still feel that way, do you…?"

The paler boy blinked at the question, but saw no point in not answering honestly. "Yes." Kuroko replied after a short pause, setting down his tea again. "I do."

Kagami's hands slowly fell from his head and drooped between his legs as he raised his head slightly, still not looking directly at Kuroko. "Then…you wouldn't, uh…" He turned his head to the side and scratched the back of his head with one finger. "You wouldn't wanna go out, would you?" Kagami's eyes flashed in Kuroko's direction. "Uh, I mean, you don't have to, if you don't want to."

Kuroko's eyes finally softened as the redhead spoke, sitting back slightly in his seat. He was still processing the fact that they were both living together in the same space, both having the same feelings for each other at the same time, and yet neither one of them acted on them for fear of damaging the friendship they already had. Kagami had always been good to him; he didn't really have a reason to say no. "Yes." Kuroko answered, his blue eyes drifting to the floor and folding his hands together neatly on his lap. "I would like to do that, in fact."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kagami finally turn his head to look straight at him. "Really?" The taller male asked, his voice filled with surprise with a touch of childish excitement and wonder. "Awesome, Kurok—" He stopped and cleared his throat, calming himself down suddenly. "I mean, that's great. Uh…so when are you free? We could start planning something now. If you want, that is."

The blue-haired nodded, taking up his tea once again. "On Friday and Saturday afternoons I am usually free." He replied calmly, remaining unresponsive to Kagami's obviously flustered behavior. "We could go to the park, or perhaps the art museum? Unless that would be too boring for Kagami-kun."

"Ah, no that's perfect!" The taller male responded quickly. "I-I'm fine with going to the park! And if there was a specific exhibit at the museum, we can go there too."

Kuroko offered a subtle smile. "I suppose it's settled, then." He said in a soft voice. "I will look forward to it."

Kagami stood once again, sensing that it was time to leave. He also had a familiar smirk on his face. "Me too, Kuroko." He held out his fist to Kuroko, just like they did at Seirin. "I'll call you later with details, 'kay?"

The smaller male nodded again, and bumped his own fist against Kagami's. This gesture had always symbolized their friendship and teamwork, but now he supposed it carried a deeper meaning entirely.


End file.
